


i think you think too much of me.

by deere



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Arguing, Drinking, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Light Femdom, Makeup Sex, Patch 5.0: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Unresolved Romantic Tension, hi i dont know how to tag this, i apologize for the lack of context here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-18 13:07:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21661294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deere/pseuds/deere
Summary: i don’t know how to forget you.-catching feelings is scary. especially when you can’t seem to keep the people you love alive.
Relationships: Warrior of Light/Thancred Waters
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	1. that girl took my heart

**Author's Note:**

> i’m sorry that this is lacking a LOT of context... so much of their relationship had become brainstorming and has been left in the back of my mind, so it’s just, like... common knowledge now to me. i don’t know how much of this will be comprehensible to the general public. i have a lot of private works about these two in my personal files but they’re just abysmally written and i wanted to put this out there while i’m still proud of it. i hope you can still enjoy!!

you wouldn’t guess that the night sky had returned, given the way the crystarium glowed post-vanquishing. it was alight with celebration— music, dancing, singing… drinking. it wasn’t really in mona’s character to indulge in such revelry; a fact the scions had learned particularly early on in their relationship with the woman. and though they’d often attempt to coax her with a small drink or two, she was ever inclined not to make a fool of herself.

however, after her run in this shard, perhaps tonight would be the night she’d make an exception.

and it didn’t take long— a few drinks in, perhaps— for it to become apparent why she wasn’t much of a drinker. the glasses she had seemed to go to her head; and she was now seated at the bar, leaning against an equally buzzed thancred and cheering along with the crowd between light, private conversation.

ryne couldn’t help but track every movement of theirs— their eyes, their lips… their hands. some of the movements they made almost seemed too intimate for _just friends—_ it made her wonder, briefly, to what extent the love-hate relationship she saw displayed in the pair over their travels went.

as she watched mona wrap her arms around thancred, leaning in to whisper in his ear, the young girl leaned over to her own table mate and mumbled softly once she got her attention.

“am i…” she paused a moment, swallowed thickly. “... am i reading too far into it, or does it seem like mona and thancred are being a little…”

alisaie watched curiously as she gestured toward the pair, who were now leaned heavily against each other. mona’s face had nuzzled into the crook of his neck, and his arm was wrapped around her smaller frame, hand pressed against her lower back. upon seeing them tangled up as such, alisaie couldn’t help but _laugh_ , elbowing alphinaud right next to her.

“hey, check out the lovebirds over there,” she gestured with a tip of her head, watching alphinaud’s eyes travel to the pair. a soft laugh escaped him, in turn, and he shook his head.

“incredible.” he muttered almost _sarcastically_ beneath his breath, his eyes following as their faces became _inexplicably_ close. “i haven’t seen them like this in _years_. i suppose all it takes for them is a bit of booze.”

“they’ve been like this before?” ryne inquired, eyes following alphinaud’s gaze back to them.

“oh, this is _nothing_ compared to how they used to be,” he began with a laugh, shaking his head. “they were nigh inseparable, back in the days. of course, that was probably around 5 turns ago. well— _double_ that, now, for thancred.”

ryne’s eyes trained on the way they laughed together, the way mona’s thumb brushed against the tattoos upon his neck, the way he pulled her closer and nestled his face into her skin. she’d never seen him so… gentle, soft. it was almost _uncharacteristic_ for him, the way he pined into her touch.

“i never took him for the romantic…” she murmured, leaning her chin into her hands.

a near barking laugh escaped alisaie at the sentiment, crossing her arms. “ _romantic_ isn’t the word i’d use,” she began, though she was cut off by a hard nudge and a warning look from alphinaud. the mage threw up her hands slightly in a _‘what?’_ sort of gesture, lowering her voice to a whisper. “ _oh,_ she’s old enough to know what that means. besides, i’m _right—_ “

“ _romantic_ ,” alphinaud began firmly, casting a glare at alisaie, “isn’t the word i’d use either. you know well enough how distant he can be— possibly better than any of us.”

ryne’s gaze became pensive as alphinaud spoke, glancing back over to the pair at the bar. he continued; “but— with no intent on making your struggles with him seem lesser— i daresay mona’s known the extent of that distance _long_ before you. those two used to be much closer than they seem in more recent times— and though i believe they were more prone to _privacy_ in years past, it was apparent that they had something going on. they were the gossip of the waking sands, so i heard, and the rising stones, once time came.

“but one day it just… stopped. they didn’t speak, didn’t look at each other… they were hardly seen together in the same room. that started not too long before his and y’shtola’s run-in with the lifestream, actually. no one really knew why… but we had a few guesses.” alphinaud trailed off.

the younger frowned, now, as she stared at the pair in question. mona’s hand reached to stroke through his hair, mumbling something inaudible to the man moved to nestle into her neck, instead. he simply nodded, his hands shifting to hold her waist, gently.

“your confusion was much the same as my own, finding out they had a history.” alisaie added. “when i met them both again after my break from the scions, it was just as alphinaud describes. complete avoidance, really. our journeys here in the first were the first time i’ve ever seen them so much as speak on a regular basis— even if it was _mostly_ bickering.”

“which is an improvement on _nothing_ , i suppose.” alphinaud muttered. “but, as i was saying— no, i would not pin thancred a romantic. but when it comes to _mona_ , well… it seems such behavior is reserved for her.”

the oracle’s gaze dropped as he finished, but it returned just in time to watch as the couple hopped from their bar stools, mona stumbling and laughing as thancred caught her. he seemed to chuckle back, holding her close and assisting her in relocating her footing.

and once they both got their legs, she watched thancred mumble something in her ear, a smirk on his face, but mona’s gaze caught the younger scions’ as she looked around the room frantically to see if anyone was watching. her gaze darted from one to three, and a sheepish grin broke her features, a hand lifting to signal that they’d be back in a minute.

the moment she let him, though, he began backing her up and out of the wandering stairs’ plaza, nearly _tripping_ her as she reached the steps and causing another loud laugh to escape her. he shushed her frantically with his own laugh and took her hand, allowing her to lead him away, a small sprint in their steps.

once their forms disappeared into the darkness and ryne’s surprised gaze could not follow them any longer, she looked back at the twins with an uneasy, questioning gaze. “where…?”

“well, they _were_ headed toward the pendants…” alphinaud suggested, looking over to alisaie for help in making his observation less awkward. she rolled her eyes dramatically and sighed, taking a sip of her drink.

“they’re probably going somewhere quiet to start a fight or something,” she stated, shaking her head. “as if i wouldn’t _pay_ to see mona sock him in the face at _least_ once.”

-

they didn’t stop their grand escape until they were a fair ways from the celebrations— away from the people, the noise. they had climbed the steps of the pendants all the way to the top, and kept going— travelling overhead, across the crystarium, following the railings until they inevitably reached the rotunda.

once they’d finally slowed just outside the aetheryte plaza, mona let out a barking laugh, leaning against the railing for leverage as she caught her breath. “that was so dumb,” she sang, “what were we even running for?”

“oh, you don’t suppose there’d have been talk about... the _esteemed_ warrior of darkness… trouncing off to the pendants... with a dashing man, too tipsy to stand?” he teased between pants, a laugh escaping him soon after. he stumbled to lean against the railing with her, which gave her leeway to hit him in the arm firmly. he laughed in light surprise, but shook his head, staring out over the land beyond the walls of the crystarium.

once mona noticed, she, too, joined him in looking over lakeland, watching the way the moon shone across the land. she began to drift into thoughts of what had occurred in the past few days— vaulthry… g’raha tia… amaurot. what an adventure they’d gone on. and what a way she’d almost went out— she truly thought that when she did, it’d be while saving somebody. not while other people were trying to save _her_. and she supposed she was right, for all intents and purposes— she hadn’t perished. but the thought still made her uneasy— that it was even a possibility…

glancing over to thancred, she watched his pensive gaze carefully, eyes tracing the graceful curve of his lips into a barely noticeable smile. she couldn’t help her own playful smile beginning to tug at her face, the warmth of the alcohol still softening her mood.

“gil for your thoughts?” she suggested, nudging him with her elbow. he seemed to snap out of thought at that, looking down at her in surprise. then, he settled back into his previous state, not responding for a few moments.

“... i really missed this, you know.” he began quietly, thoughtfully. when mona didn’t respond, he hesitantly continued. “... doing dumb stuff with you… joking around with you, having fun. i like being with you. doing stuff that isn’t… fighting.”

she was further silenced by his words, though they warmed her in a strange, melancholic way. looking down from the railing they stood on, she ran over his words in her head, searching for a proper response.

“... you were here for _five_ years, huh…?” she said quietly, playing with her fingers. a soft, sarcastic laugh escaped her, and she squeezed her hands gently. “it’d only been _months_ for me— maybe closer to a year, but… i still had your body to visit, at least. you didn’t even have that luxury. did you even know if i was alive?”

there was a brief silence. “sort of.” he began, never shifting. “i would check in with the exarch once in a while. it was hard, at first. i’d lose sight of who i was, what i was doing, why i was fighting. but when y'shtola and urianger came— when they said you all were alright, back in the source, that barely any time had passed compared to the years i’d been hunting sin eaters…i daresay i was relieved.”

“relieved? that you’d gotten the short end of the stick?” she teased lightly, he bowed his head with a quiet chuckle, shaking his head.

“relieved that my home was alright. that my family was. that _you_ were.”

a soft silence fell over them after he said that, mona spoken into silence by him. she could say what she wanted about him— that he was impossible, annoying, hard to read… but she couldn’t say he doesn’t care about the people he loves. and that bothered her, to no end, because how was she ever to explain what happened between them all those years ago in a way that mattered?

“i missed you, too. if that wasn’t clear.” she mumbled, playing with her fingers. “i was mostly worried about you. especially when i heard how long you’d been here. but when g’raha told me you’d gotten a _companion_ , well—“

her cheeks flushed a light pink, and lips clamped shut. a brief silence passed before thancred realized what she’d said, and he _laughed_ , the infernal man.

“but?” he goaded. “you heard that i’d finally settled down and didn’t bat an eyelash? oh, i don’t believe that for a—“

“ _obnoxious_ . you’re an _obnoxious_ man, you know that?” she spoke after him, asserting her voice with a louder cadence to drown out his own implications. though her interruption was met with a laugh on thancred’s part, it was clear that mona was only half-joking.

“oh, just _admit_ it,” he chided, leaning closer to her. “the thought of _me_ being in a relationship makes you feel some sort of way.”

“shut it,” she grumbled, playing with the paint of the railing. “it’s not like that.”

“then what’s it like?” he laughed, nudging her. she looked further away from him, and he pushed his face closer to hers, attempting to grasp at her jaw to guide her gaze back to him. “come on, o valiant warrior of _light_ and _darkness_. impart on me your wisdom.”

suddenly angry at how lightly he was taking it, how much he joked about it all, a fire ignited in her. she growled, shaking his grip and using her arms to shove him off of her. “fuck you.” she stated.

and he backed off, albeit slowly. “what’s up?” he asked, half-worriedly. mona couldn’t see his face, but she could guess what the look on it was.

“i just— don’t joke about that!” she began, raising her voice defensively. she whipped her head around to find his gaze, stumbling a few steps back from him. “it’s not funny! not to _me_ . maybe it’s all fun and games to _you_ , who you flirt with and who you take to bed, but it’s not _like_ that for me. it’s— it’s gotta be someone special to me! someone i really love, and i want to be with for a really long time. a-and when— when i see you flirting with random people you’ve never met before, o-or taking someone you barely know to bed, i…”

angry tears welled in her eyes. she wiped them away quickly, before he could see them. “i have to wonder what’s so wrong with me, that you didn’t want me all those years ago. that you pushed me away like you did. that you keep pushing me away now! i wonder— i wonder if i’m not pretty enough, or funny enough, or— or _strong_ enough. and maybe i’m not, maybe there's a lot of reasons not to want me, but— but you were so _mean_ to me, i thought… i thought no one was ever gonna love me again.”

thancred reeled for a moment as she finished yelling, but his eyebrows furrowed soon after. “are you kidding me? of course i want you— and _of course_ i _love you!_ i’ve loved you for _years!”_

_“what_ are you even _talking about?”_ she demanded, her heart threatening to beat from her chest. “you told me back then that you _didn’t_ love me! that it didn’t mean _anything!_ don’t lie to me, thancred— i’m _sick_ of getting my hopes up for you!”

“you wanna know why i said all of that?” he started, eyes narrowing into hers. “i was _scared,_ alright? i was _scared_ knowing that i was starting to care so much for you. that i was starting to get used to you, that i was starting to— to _need_ you! _you know_ what happens when you care about someone— they _die_ . they die, or they leave, or some stupid destiny shit takes them and you _never_ see them again! i want to be with you, mona— i do. but not if it means that one of us will suffer trying!”

“i don’t _care_ if i suffer anymore. i’m _suffering_ by forcing myself not to be with anyone— by telling myself that i’m destined to be alone. i don’t wanna be alone anymore, thancred! aren’t you sick of it, too?”

_“of course_ _you’re_ sick of it. you _deserve_ love. _me—_ i don’t deserve _anything!_ especially not you!”

“did you ever consider my feelings in this?”

“i can’t afford t—“

“—because i want _you,_ _thancred!_ ”

silence. he seemed genuinely awestruck by her statement. before he could come back with something even stupider, she continued.

“what do you think i’ve waited so long for? of course i have other options! i’m the warrior of fucking _light_ and _darkness!_ i’ve watched so many people— _so many_ — fall in love with me. but i don’t have anything to give them, and nothing to show for it, because i keep hoping that by some _miracle_ you’ll come through! that someday, all of this would come to _mean_ something. so, for once in your stupid _prick_ life, can you just _tell me_ what you want so we can _get on with our lives?!”_

a beat passed. then another. and before mona could blink, thancred was on her, pushing her into the railing behind her as his lips pressed deeply into her own. panic surged through her, not expecting that reaction from him; part of her wanted to enjoy it, but another part wanted her to stop him.

before she could even consider either option, it was over. thancred pulled away with an expectant look in his eyes, blown wide with the adrenaline of doing something to her that he hadn’t in _years—_ kissing her. the buzz of his touch on her skin still lingered, but something else won over her senses, inevitably.

reeling back, she swung a swift right hook into his jaw without missing a beat. he recoiled as soon as it hit him, letting go of her and clutching his jaw with a cry.

“ow— what the fuck was that for?!” he complained, rubbing his sore face gingerly.

“i— i don’t know.” she admitted truthfully, face blank as she stared at the hand in question, still curled in the air beside her. shaking it out gently, she looked back up at him. “don’t… don’t surprise me like that.”

“oh, my sincerest apologies. i’ll make sure to give you a formal handwritten notice next time.” he grumbled, attempting to look away from her.

even in his grumpy demeanor, mona couldn’t help a tug of the corner of her lips, a choked laugh tumbling from her lips at the goofiness of the situation. this time, before he could react, she reached up to his face and pulled him down for another kiss, tilting her head into it. though he was stiff the first few moments, he eventually melted back into her, dragging his hands slowly down her sides until he reached her waist and curled his arms around it to hold her close.

a happy hum left her as he reciprocated, her arms moving to wrap around his neck. when they broke apart, they gave each other little time to recoup before their lips met once again, a bit rougher this time. it wasn’t long before wandering hands became hungry, and before they could stop themselves, thancred’s hands were hiking up her shirt.

suddenly breaking apart with a pant, mona pressed her hands against his shoulders, trying to keep him from going back in. she stood against him, cheeks flushed, lips sticky from their interactions with his tongue. and he was no different, with his jacket disheveled, hair mussed from her fingers threading through.

as molten eyes lifted to meet his, blown wide with need, she swallowed thickly. wiping her mouth with her sleeve hurriedly, she looked back toward the way they came, and then toward the aetheryte.

“we have to go.” she stated bluntly, looking back toward him.

his eyebrows knit together in concern, his hands gripping her hips a bit tighter. “why?”

it took her a moment to realize that he thought she meant they had to _stop_ , and a slow grin spread onto her features, once she did. gripping the back of his neck, she pulled him down to press her lips to his ear, her other hand travelling to rest atop his chest.

“because if you let me keep going, _i’m_ going to end up bending _you_ over this railing.” she teased, nibbling the shell of his ear gingerly. even in the way she joked, a shudder ran up his spine at her words, causing him to grasp her even tighter.

“not the worst idea you’ve ever had,” he chided quietly, hand snaking towards her ass to grasp a handful and pull her closer. she squeaked a bit in response, giggling and pulling away from him quickly. she made sure to grab his hand before she started moving, tugging him back toward the inn.

“c’mon!” she hissed quietly, and could only pray that there were no interruptions on their way back.


	2. and i don’t want it back

thancred was hard-pressed to keep his hands off her. even as she was unlocking her inn room door, he was behind her, pressed against her back— his lips at her neck, hips against hips, hand in very _inappropriate_ places to be in public—

finally clicking the door open, mona opened it and all but fell through with him, laughing as they entered. thancred slammed the door behind him, turning her around to kiss her again, finally. his lips found hers like he needed her touch to _live—_ he grabbed her keys from her hands, tossed them onto the floor, and spun her around to slam her against the closed door. she let out a noise— a whimper that turned quickly into a moan— and fumbled to lock the door before she threw her arms around him, knotting her fingers in his hair. 

they kissed in a way that spoke to so much desperation, so much lost time— every touch and breath and look was filled with want, with _need_. thancred wasted little time in attempting to pull off her shirt in the heat of the moment, his hands fumbling even as they pulled the fabric over her head. he took one glance down at the newly-bared skin and groaned, burying his face into her neck. 

“perfect,” he murmured, pressing needy kisses up her neck and jawline, “you’re perfect.”

mona felt her face flush hotter at the comment, and it took everything in her not to cover it in embarrassment. but thancred moved along fast enough that she didn’t have time to dwell on it, soon finding her lips to steal a few more kisses from them as he discarded her shirt haphazardly. 

“you’re far too clothed,” she near-whispered, hand trailing down his chest. he let out a breathless laugh, and moved to help her remove his coat, his chestplate; the shirt he had on underneath his armor made her whine, mumbling about how he had _‘far too many layers, too’_ , but he simply shook his head and removed it following suit, discarding it before he pulled her close once more. 

her head was spinning. this is the same thancred she met on that fateful day that she walked into the waking sands all those years ago, the same one she travelled through thanalan with, that would push her against the wall of the storage rooms of the rising stones, kiss her, touch her, tell her he _couldn’t be with her—_

he cut her spiral short with a swift movement, lifting her from her feet and guiding a leg to wrap around his waist. she squeaked, but went along with it— clinging to him, in fear of him dropping her. 

but he didn’t— he simply carried her to the bed, resting her gingerly on the sheets beneath him. when his eyes met hers, they spoke of countless years of yearning, pining, childish puppy love; it was as if he’d been here before, watching her beneath him, moonlight flooding in through the open window. like it was something out of his wildest dreams, his most impossible fantasies. but she didn’t get much time to tease him for it, because within seconds he was on her, hands travelling up her curves in a motion nearly reverent. 

his mouth dipped to press against her jaw, momentarily, and his white locks tickled her face as he spoke into her ear. “tell me what you want.” he breathed, attacking her jaw and neck with more kisses and nips afterward. 

_“thancred…”_ she complained, though her embarrassment was more evident in her tone than her impatience. 

“please.” he murmured against her neck, pulling back up to tease kisses against her face— her cheek, her nose, her eyelid, her temple. “i _need_ you to _say it._ ”

she felt a warm chill up her spine as he spoke; so needy, so wanton. at some point it had suddenly occurred to her that he was asking _permission,_ in so many words— not simply attempting to embarrass or tease her. lifting her hands to hold his face, steady in her grip, she guided his eyes to meet her’s— to understand the emotion in them. 

“i want this.” she confirmed quietly, slowly. stroking a strand of hair from his face, she began to rub her thumbs against his cheeks; slow, steady rhythms, back and forth, against the flushed apples of them. “i want _you_.”

his brown eyes were inquiring, innocent. and there was a wholesome joy he took in hearing those words from her, and he took it as an immediate sign to continue without holding back, previous rhythm slowly picking back up. his lips found hers once more and claimed them, hands sliding beneath her to remove her bra. he only pulled away to see the bare skin beneath. 

he let out a soft breath as his gaze traced the sight, drinking it in as if he’d never seen a person naked before, and he would never see one again. his eyes told her that he was committing her to memory, but his mouth said naught more than a simple, soft _‘gods damn it’._ and some part of her wanted to laugh at his reaction, but another hoped that it was a _positive_ one… as he discarded the clothing, she found herself snaking her arms around herself in embarrassment. 

“oh—“ he quickly shook his head, grasping her arms gently and pulling them away. “no, it’s not… you have no idea…” 

his soft, hollow laugh as he trailed off spoke louder than words could. how long had he wanted to see her like this? how many people had he taken to bed over the years just to _pretend_ they were her? 

he shook the thoughts from his head, setting kisses against her jaw, her neck, her collarbone. as he kissed down her chest, he made sure to lay a few against her sides, too. she squirmed at the feeling, giggling and loosening up slightly from her previous embarrassment. 

“i guess i don’t.” she stated in a laugh, a hand lifting to run through his hair. he laughed, too, and bit into her side, gently, playfully. she gasped indignantly, giving him a defiant, playful look. 

“and you never will.” he snarked back, lifting his head back up to kiss her once more. 

it took very little time for them to finish undressing, kicking off each other’s pants and boots. there was only a brief moment in which their rhythm stuttered (mona had attempted to kick his pants off the bed, but she was interrupted— _‘wait— give me those.’ ‘huh? why?’—_ and once he pulled a small package from the pocket, she understood all too well), but they wasted little time following. 

thancred carefully parted her legs after preparing himself, scooting further up against her body as he did. the warmth of his length pressed against her sent a spark up from her core, her hands grabbing at his upper arms with a hitch of breath.

there was a gentle air to his hands, caressing her thighs as he shifted her closer. he buried his face against her head, waiting a moment before offering a gentle roll of his hips. a small gasp escaped her, hand curling into the bed’s comforter in anticipation. 

and there was a point— a line they crossed— where this became more of a _tease_ than any sort of preparation, or form of taking it slow. the moment when mona’s heartbeat began to pick up, and her hips twitched in desperation, moving to meet his, was the moment thancred began to groan his impatience, squeezing her hips tightly.

“thancred,” she whispered, eyes fluttering open to meet his. the desperation flitted through her tone and gaze, near palpable. “ _please_ , i need you—“ 

his eyebrows knitting, he cut her off with a kiss, guiding himself against her. as he began to sink inside her, he groaned against her lips, breaking the kiss and nestling his face into her cheek. 

_“fuck,”_ he rasped out as he bottomed out, peppering kisses against her jaw and neck. she let out a soft whimper in response, wrapping her legs around his waist. 

as he pulled his face away, he pressed their lips together once more, sharing a few short kisses with her before he started to move. a soft sound fell from her lips when he first pulled out, her legs tightening to pull him back against her. a heavy breath escaped him as he sunk back inside her, his hand gripping her hip tight. 

“ _mona—_ “ he warned, swallowed; “slow down.”

she gave him a bit of an incredulous look in response, a soft, playful laugh escaping her. “sorry, sir,” she teased, brushing his nose with her own. “off your game?”

he rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t toss any wit back at her— he truly hadn’t taken a soul to bed with him in _years_. but he could remember all the times he wished to, desperately— all the times he’d nearly accepted advances in the last five years, only to find that he couldn’t settle with anything or anyone less than mona. the times that he’d taken himself in hand thinking of her, her name on his tongue as he spilled onto himself. and looking down at her now, after all this time… well, he had the mind that it may have been worth it.

shrugging, he let out a soft, wistful, borderline _sarcastic_ sigh. “how the mighty fall,” he murmured, hands holding her hips in place as he shifted to accomodate a better position. “just let me lead.”

to thancred’s dismay, he heard an indignant scoff leave her mouth with his words. “why would i do _that?”_

he fought to roll his eyes against the crook of her neck, ready to brush her off and continue. but before he could, he felt her sudden grip on his waist and the _dizzying_ sensation of being thrown to the side. his back hit the bed with a slight creak of complaint, and once his head caught up to his body, he blinked and found the smaller _straddled_ atop him, rosy eyes gleaming down at him playfully. 

“i’ve waited way too long for this,” she began in a murmur, lips travelling toward his ear. as her teeth worried the shell of it, hand beginning to slide slowly down his bare torso. “be a good boy and lay still for me, okay?”

before he could protest, a small, calloused hand wrapped around his length. it only took a few pumps and a soft groan from his lips for her to wiggle herself into position, slowly sinking down onto his length. when she bottomed out, she let out a breath that she hadn’t known she was holding in and smoothed her palms out against his abdomen. 

she felt a smug smile tug the corner of her lip—the way he twitched inside her only served to make her more eager. she began slow, rocking her hips gently against him and listening to the gasp that escaped him when she did. as his hands came up to grip her hips, she dropped down onto his chest, mouth finding his pulse and suckling it gently. 

“m-mona…” thancred breathed, his hips bucking gently back against her, overwhelmed by the attention he was receiving. as one of his hands slid to grab her ass, the other moved to cradle her head against him, eyes fluttering shut. she bit the smooth skin of his neck reflexively, to which his breath hitched, but she made sure to smooth her tongue back over the sore spot in a light apology afterwards. 

“th-that’s gonna leave a—... leave a mark.” he breathed, burying his face into her hair. as her hands dragged down his sides, gripping him firmly, her lips pressed kisses up his neck and jawline, not stopping until she reached his ear. 

_“good.”_ she spoke firmly against it, punctuating the word with a sharp thrust of her hips. he let out a moan before he could stop himself, dropping his head to the side in embarrassment. mona lifted her hands to grasp him by his jaw, leaning up as she turned his head to look at her. 

“i want that. i _want_ people to know. i want every soul in norvrandt to see that mark and know that you’re spoken for.” she murmured lowly, gaze locked with his. his brown eyes half-lidded with an unreadable expression, but the way he swallowed after she said such felt like reaction enough.

“i don’t remember you being so territorial back in the day,” he spoke, almost teasingly, sliding his hand to meet hers on his cheek. as their fingers intertwined, she offered a gentle smile down at him, using her unoccupied hand for leverage on his chest as she continued to rock her hips into his. 

“pussyfooting around with someone for five years can do that.” she replied smartly, punctuating her words with a grind of her pelvis down against him. though he groaned, he couldn’t stop the grin from taking his lips.

“ten, for some. but who’s— _mmh—_ counting?” he goaded, a burning tease sparkling in his eyes. the incredulous look she gave him was _perfect_ , and it took everything out of him not to go into a small chuckle fit and ruin the mood. instead, he reached up and urged her head down for a kiss, lips lingering against her’s even as they parted. “maybe i should ‘pussyfoot’ around you a little more, if this is what’s to come of it.” 

“oh, don’t worry. there’s— _ah—_ plenty more where this came from.” mona assured him, a wicked grin on her face. “i’ve got a few _scores_ to settle with you, waters.”

a soft laugh left him at the notion, but there was absolutely a bit of truth in her words— he could see it in her eyes, the hidden mischief and lust beneath the humor. his fingers slid from her grasp, hand clasping onto her side and sliding down to her hip as he met her gaze cooly, a hint of humor in his own.“well, come and get me then, wolfe.”

something in her bright, rosy eyes turned dark, in that moment— her eyes lidded and she found her now unoccupied hand drifting toward his throat, finger hooking beneath the choker wrapped about his neck and pulling him into a rough kiss. she assisted the press of their lips with a few eager rolls of her hips, deepening it as she began to form a solid rhythm. even as she broke apart from him, her hips continued— and caused thancred to groan loudly, using his hands to assist the rocking of her hips as he quickly climbed to his peak with her. 

true to his word, thancred didn’t think he would last much longer inside of her; her warm, soft heat was just _far_ too much for him— he was already twitching against her tight walls. clenching his jaw, his hands gripped her hips and attempted to rut into her, chasing release as their eyes caught in the space between. mona’s hands slid to his own, making to grab his wrists and force her hips still atop him. 

when she stopped him, he almost whimpered— he only _barely_ evaded it, letting a breath go afterward that he didn’t know he was holding in. he looked up at her, his desperate expression asking for answers where his lips didn’t. 

“ _ah-ah-ah_ .” she scolded with a dark giggle, rolling her hips experimentally a few times. “help _me_ first, and _then_ i’ll let you finish.”

though he very nearly _grumbled_ at her attitude, he did feel his cock throb as she spoke to him with such dominance. he sighed, staring up into her eyes as his hands slid away from her hips, trailing up and down her thighs. “you drive a hard bargain, o’ warrior of _light_ and _darkness_. but i think i can deliver.”

bucking up into her heat, his right thumb slid between her folds and found the flushed bundle of nerves he sought in the same moment. the sudden friction made her gasp and whine in surprise, back arching as she ground hard into his attention. he chuckled delicately, the sensation of her on his dick still working him as she worked herself close. he gave gentle rolls of his hips into hers as he rubbed small circles into the sensitive nub, making her grasp his free hand for leverage as he built her up. 

it didn’t take much, either; for the big game she talked, she hadn’t been with anyone herself in a rather long time. and the way thancred touched her so reverently, so carefully, and so lovingly at the same time— his voice coaxed her softly to her peak, asking if she liked it, if she wanted more, told her she was doing _so_ good— and soon, she’d reached her limit. 

“th— _thancred,”_ she choked out, tensing as she came close. “i-i’m…”

“go ahead, baby,” he murmured, lifting his hand to cradle the back of her neck. he tugged her down to nestle her face in the crook of his— an offer she took up near immediately— for leverage as she hit the edge, whimpering and grabbing harshly at his sides as she came. she attempted to ride herself out against him, grinding her hips down and against his thumb as she twitched against him. 

her coming was really all it took for him to reach his limit, too— the way she tightened and her hips stuttered into gentle thrusts against him was simply _unfair,_ along with the gentle whines of his name muffled into his neck as she rode herself out. it only took a few hard thrusts up into her for him to peak himself, groaning and cradling her head close as he spilled inside of her, holding her close as they finished together. 

as they fell from their highs and the afterglow set it in, the haze over their senses faded and they could hear each other’s desperate pants for air, feel the heat of one another’s body. mona was almost embarrassed for how sweaty she felt, and if she wasn’t already flushed to her limits, she might’ve gotten even more red. as she began to shift and pull away, thancred casted a confused glance her way, tightening his grip. 

“and where do you think _you’re_ going?” he asked breathlessly, an eyebrow cocked as he kissed her jaw, her neck. she whined softly, tugging against his embrace. 

“‘m sweaty.” she mumbled simply, burying her face into his neck tiredly. “and gross.”

“so am i.” he offered, pressing soft kisses where he could to her face, her head. his fingers massaged into her hair gently, soothingly. “don’t worry about it. just be here with me.”

she frowned a bit against his neck, but obeyed his request— and she relaxed against him, nestling herself into his body as the heat faded from them and the chill began to set in. 

the pair accommodated for the fading of the moment, curling up beneath blankets eventually and situating themselves comfortably together as the silence of the night took them. they relaxed in each other’s quiet embrace, murmuring sweet nothings in whispers so quiet that you’d think they were keeping secrets. the roars of celebration outside the window barely audible as they enjoyed the night together, away from the eyes, the titles, the _expectations_ of norvrandt.

at some point, thancred’s eyes fell on the lick of the sky he could see from her window, pulling her closer as he gazed at it. “you really did it,” he murmured into her hair, offering a few kisses to her head. she turned to look over her shoulder at what he was talking about, the realization washing over her as he continued to place small kisses about her cheek and jaw. “you saved this world. the universe, even. … again. you never stop amazing me.”

a smile tugged at her lips as she turned back to him, letting him steal a few kisses from her lips. “i couldn’t have done it without you… the scions— everyone. we’re all heroes; i hardly deserve all that credit.”

he let out a noncommittal hum, stroking her hair gently from her face. “well, i don’t know if everyone else deserves the credit of almost shattering their soul to hold the entire world’s light in their bodies, but i can appreciate the gesture of you saying that.”

mona laughed lightly and smacked his chest, burying her face back into his neck. “i’m trying to be all inspirational and tell you how much you mean to me, here.”

“and i’m trying to segway into asking if you’re up for round two,” he murmured playfully, nipping at her neck, “but we can’t all get what we want.”

she laughed incredulously, pulling away to look st him with eyebrows raised. “and how were you going to pull that off?”

“not important. what matters is i can pull it off _now_ like _this.”_ and with that he pressed his lips into hers once more, shifting himself over her as she tried (and failed) to stifle a laugh against his lips. 

mona pulled away for a moment to catch his gaze after they broke apart, eyes playful and warm, even half-lidded as they were. her thumbs traced his cheekbones as if she was admiring something precious. it felt like a knife in his chest.

“thancred,” she murmured, still stroking, stroking. “i love you.”

and he didn’t know what to do with himself, hearing that. so he continued his ministrations, holding tight her hips and waist as he trailed kisses down her jaw, her neck. his hands craved the chance to take time and explore her in a way he couldn’t before, not with how frantic their previous coupling was. he would take her slowly, this time— or go down trying, at the least. 

“you’re everything,” he finally murmured, pressing kisses to her collarbone. he only travelled lower, lower as he spoke. “everything.”

-

the knock on the door was unwelcome by both. they’d kept each other up deep into the night, and ended it tangled up in each other's grasp. they’d both jolted awake— a product of their shared habit of light sleeping— upon the first round of knocking, though mona was the first to groan. 

thancred began to blink the bleariness from his eyes, watching her sleeping form with his arm slung around it. the knocking began again, and once he digested the situation, he sighed tiredly, pressing a kiss to her temple. “i’ll get it,” he grumbled quietly, slipping out of bed before she could argue. 

he stumbled to put himself back into his clothes before answering, picking up the strewn-about articles on the way to the door. as he was buttoning his pants, he looked around and winced to find his undershirt somehow slung over the metal separator between the top and bottom platforms of her suite. shaking his head, he grabbed it and made way to the door, hearing a final, brief rapping before he grabbed the handle to open it. 

he wasn’t sure who’s face he was expecting behind the door, but it wasn’t this one. his eyes widened as he stared the young girl down, frozen a few moments before he moved to cover his chest with the undershirt he hadn’t bothered to pull on yet. 

“what— why are you up so early? is something wrong?” thancred stuttered, trying to find a way to move out of her line of sight and pull his shirt on. 

“i…— no, it’s— we— the scions… you guys—… it’s nearly noon.” ryne began, desperately searching for the words to explain herself. “you’ve both been gone since last night, and you don’t usually sleep in this late… the others didn’t seem worried, but i just wanted to check and… and make sure you’re both okay...” 

_“we’re fine,”_ thancred responded, a bit too quickly. he closed his eyes and breathed in attempt to calm himself down and think of a way to explain why he was half-naked on the wrong side mona’s door. _c’mon, waters. make something up. anything._

“mona was pretty tipsy last night, so i ended up walking her back to her room to make sure she was okay. i didn’t want her to get sick alone in her room.” he lied, making sure to steady his eye contact with her and keep his voice level. “but i was kinda buzzed myself, so i ended up staying over.”

ryne looked at the shirt in his hands, and then at his coat on the floor beside him. his eyes travelled to where her’s were focused and he kicked the jacket out of her sight, looking back at her. “i get hot when i sleep.”

she looked a bit skeptical at first, but also as if she couldn’t think of any other explanation for the evidence she’d gathered. he thanked the twelve silently that she was probably still too young to recognize the situation. 

“i see,” she mumbled thoughtfully, gaze lingering on the place his jacket had been lying before looking back up to him. “well, is mona awake yet? i wanted to give her a once-over and make sure she was okay after yesterday—“ 

_“no,”_ thancred replied, again, much too quickly. struggling to make up for it, he continued, “she’s still sleeping. i’ll let her know you stopped by when she wakes up. i’m gonna stay and make sure she’s okay before i leave, so we’ll both catch up with you later. alright?”

she wanted to argue. thancred saw it in her eyes. mona was rubbing off on her far too much, he couldn’t help but think. he was glad that ryne, at least, could still recognize his authority, however. because once he gave her a particularly stern look, she backed down with a sigh. 

“alright. i’ll see you both later, then.” she resolved, sounding a bit defeated. 

“good girl. i’ll see you later.” once he saw ryne nod in affirmation, he moved to close the door as quickly as he could without arousing suspicion. 

only upon the click of the lock did he let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, leaning his forehead against the door. he heard a chuckle from his left and slowly turned his head to look at the woman he knew was the culprit.

“daddy duty doesn’t stop for anyone, huh?” she asked groggily, beginning to sit up in bed. 

“not even the warrior of light, i’m afraid.” he teased, moving to return to the bed. as she moved to make room for him, she grabbed the blanket to cover her chest modestly, much to his silent disappointment. “how are you feeling?”

mona let out a soft, thoughtful hum. it came off as nearly sarcastic in nature, but her answer all but confirmed it. 

“sore? i think sore. yeah, i’m gonna go with sore.” once she made her point, she dropped the act and sighed, reaching down carefully to test her thighs. “ _incredibly_ so.”

a soft laugh left him and he shook his head, reaching to grab her thigh, gently. she tensed at the motion, as if preparing for him to tease her aching muscles. but instead he began to gently knead the tips of his fingers into her skin from above the blanket. 

“you know what would probably help that?” he began, leaning closer to her face with a mischievous smile. “a nice, warm, relaxing bath… some bubbles, candles if you have them. and maybe _someone_ to give you a good massage. how does that sound?”

she let out a soft chuckle, allowing him to dip his head against her neck and press a few kisses there. “i dunno, isn’t this the part where we have a _long_ talk about our feelings, lament the years wasted not telling the other how we feel, and confess our undying love for each other in a fit of tears?”

she swore she could feel the eye roll in his scoff, hands moving to tuck beneath her and lift her up bridal style, blanket and all. “didn’t i _just_ say it’s bath time?”

she let out a soft, surprised squeak, but it was quickly followed by a giggle, throwing her arms around his neck as he began to whisk her off to the bathroom. “okay, sorry! bath time it is!” 

he hummed a soft chuckle and pressed a kiss to her forehead, avoiding the excess blanket as it dragged along the floor behind them. really, they shouldn’t be taking such a luxurious break— after all, they always had _some_ sort of work to do. mona had to return to the source, and ryne had mentioned wanting to show thancred something in ahm arang… 

_ahh—_ fuck it. they’d already made _this_ much of a scene, so it wouldn’t change anything if they showed their faces a little later than usual.

_besides…_ she was of no use if she couldn’t walk, was she?

**Author's Note:**

> if you guys have any burning curiosities about these two, let me know... maybe i’ll tweak some of the existing fics i have about them and post a few— but as of now this is all i’m planning to post. sorry! haha i hope you guys could’ve enjoyed it anyway. tysm for reading!! ♡


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